The dollar store has so many awesome Halloween decorations that are wonderful for crafting with — including foam pumpkins and skulls. Transform these dollar store finds into upscale party decor with just a few steps. I love these ideas — a foam skull vase and pumpkin candy displays. Find instructions at Persia Lou: [DIY Skull Vase and Halloween Party Decor]

Skull Vase Project Estimate:

• Foam skull, $1
• Black paint, $1
• Glass jar, on hand
• Flowers (real or fake), on hand or $1 and up

Total cost: $2 and up

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This is a clever idea! Use a toilet paper roll as a base to make a cute fall pumpkin, perfect for your harvest decor. You just need ribbon and a twig from your yard to complete the look. I posted instructions over in my column at eBay, so go check it out: [toilet paper pumpkin]

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If you spend much time in thrift stores or going to yard sales, you have probably seen a bajillion wicker paper plate holders.  Next time you see them, grab ’em and make some of these cute Jack-o-lanterns by Sarah at Sadie Seasongoods.  And if you find a whole stack pf plate holders, you can cut out all kinds of different faces to make a fun display!  [how to make a paper plate holder Jack-o-lantern]

Project estimate:

• Wicker paper plate holders, $1 and up
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Felt, on hand or $1 and up
• Glue, on hand
• Fake leaves, $1 and up

Total:  $2 and up

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School is starting back up, the air is getting cooler, and bits of color are starting to show in the trees.  That means it’s time to start your fall crafting!  We’ve long been fans of the humble popsicle stick as one of our favorite craft supplies.  Check out how Menucha at Moms and Crafters used popsicle sticks to create this 3D pumpkin decoration.  These would be cute as part of a centerpiece or mantel display, or you could make a bunch of them and string them together as a fun garland!  You can use colored popsicle sticks, like Menucha did, or use plain sticks and give them color with a little bit of paint.  [how to make a popsicle stick pumpkin]

Project estimate:

• Popsicle sticks, on hand or $1
• Water, on hand
• Drinking glass, on hand
• Paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Buttons, on hand or $1 and up
• Twine and/or ribbon, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

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Yes, you can make this beautiful silk Thanksgiving centerpiece and use it for years to come!

Today’s tutorial comes to us from Terrie, our forum moderator at the Dollar Store Crafts Facebook group where we invite our readers to share what crafty things they’ve been up to.  If you love dollar store crafting, be sure to join the group to see lots more great ideas like this!

Project estimate:

• Cardboard, on hand
• Assorted gourds and pumpkin, about $2
• Fall leaf garland, $1
• Faux berries, $1
• Pine cones, free
• Piece of felt, on hand or about $0.25
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  about $4 and up!

I used an oatmeal box which wasn’t very sturdy so I used the front and back and glued them together.

Glue the felt on the cardboard so that it covers one side of the cardboard completely. Notice I folded it over about an inch and cut the corners at an angel so they weren’t so bulky.

Cut some leaves off the garland and randomly glue them on the edges of the cardboard. When you cut the leaves, do so to where they don’t have stems. I used the leaves off two different garlands for a better assortment.

Place the largest pumpkins and/or gourds in the center of the cardboard so that they are touching one another. DO NOT use glue yet. Once you have them in the position you like, making sure your centerpiece is pretty on all sides, you can glue them in to place. Pick each one up, add hot glue to the bottom and put it back in place.

Collect all smaller items along with some extra leaves and place them evenly around the centerpiece. Once you are satisfied with their placement, glue them one by one until you are done, just like before. Note: be sure to cover all the felt.

You’re finished! Your entire centerpiece is ready for the dining table, coffee table, wherever you need a touch of autumn.  You can make these in different sizes and shapes, this one is round because our cardboard was a square. If you want an oval centerpiece, make your cardboard rectangular.

To store, because it is literally one piece, you can slip it into a clear plastic bag or box and place it on a shelf for next year and years to come.

Designer Tips:

• Although pizza boxes are ideal to use, do NOT use one that has been used. The pizza aroma will linger in the cardboard for a very long time.
• Before you use pine cones “from the wild” bake them for one hour in the oven at 175F. This assures that they will be insect free.

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Wrapped pumpkins make great fall or Halloween decor. Here’s how to make one on the cheap with dollar store items!

One of the items I was most excited to see in this year’s Halloween selections at Dollar Tree was a selection of cute scarves – so of course I had to pick up a couple of them! I also grabbed a handful of foam pumpkins because they always sell out fast, and as I was unpacking my bags when I got home I was struck with an idea. Why not wrap one of the pumpkins up in one of the scarves? I’m super happy with how it looks and, as an added bonus, if I ever want to disassemble it I only have to untie a few knots and it will come apart with ease!

Watch the video to see how I did it, or keep scrolling for the written step-by-step!

Project estimate:

• Foam pumpkin, $1
• Scarf, $1
• Burlap or scrap fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Ribbon, on hand or $1
• Dowel, on hand or $1
• Clothespins, on hand

Total:  $2 and up

Lay out the scarf and place the pumpkin about 1/4 of the way from one of the ends.  Wrap the scarf around the pumpkin and gather the ends at the top of the pumpkin.

There will still be some of the pumpkin showing on the sides; to cover it, turn the pumpkin 90 degrees and wrap it a second time so that the pumpkin is complete covered with the scarf.  Adjust the edges of the scarf as needed to make them lay flat on the contours of the pumpkin.

Twist the gathered ends of the scarf together and tie an overhand knot to secure the scarf to the pumpkin, making sure to pull the knot tight.

To embellish the stem, tie a strip of burlap or scrap fabric around the knotted ends to resemble leaves; to make the curly vines, use green ribbon to make korker ribbon.

Creating korker ribbon is easy:  Wrap the ribbon around a wooden dowel and secure the ends with clothespins, then place it on a cookie sheet and bake at 275 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Once cooled, remove the ribbon from the dowel and it will stay in a spiral!

Tie a couple of pieces of korker ribbon around the stem and your pumpkin is ready to display!

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Want to dress up for Halloween in an understated way? How about a fun Halloween fascinator headband? I have created three different looks for the Live.Craft.Love blog: A creepy spider, a fanciful bat headband, and a bird’s nest. Each of these headbands takes less than 15 minutes to make! Find out more: [3 Halloween Headbands]

I also created three different custom treat buckets for Halloween: a bat, an owl, and a ballerina basket. These were a lot of fun to make – I think the bat is my favorite! Find the instructions for these treat buckets: [3 Halloween Treat Buckets]

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Yesterday at Dollar Tree I grabbed several of the little foam pumpkins.  I’m not sure what I am doing with them yet, but I bought them as soon as I saw them because the good holiday stuff usually sells out pretty fast, and I didn’t want to miss out on them!  So now I’ve been keeping an eye out for pumpkin inspiration, and that’s how I came across this gorgeous wood slice pumpkin by Kim at The Kim Six Fix.  Isn’t it fab?  She found wood slice vase filler that worked perfectly for this project, so you don’t even have to worry about sawing twigs yourself!  [how to make a wood slice pumpkin]

Project estimate:

• Foam pumpkin, $1
• Wood slice vase filler, about $2 and up
• Twine, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand

Total:  about $3 and up

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Some time ago I inherited my grandmother’s entire stash of craft supplies.  Among the treasure trove of ric rac and bias tape and hot glue sticks, I found several jars of buttons.  I think grandma saved every button she ever found.  This means that I am now in possession of more buttons than the average crafter will use in a lifetime!  For that reason I always have my eye on button crafts, like these adorable button pumpkins by Angie at Buttons Galore and More.  Don’t have enough orange buttons on hand?  Grab a can of orange spray and turn whatever buttons you do have into orange buttons!  [how to make button pumpkins]

Project estimate:

• Buttons, on hand or $1 and up
• Green twine or string (optional), on hand or $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

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By now you’ve probably seen the marbled fingernail polish look.  But did you know that you can use the same technique to add a marbleized look to other things too?  Aunt Peaches decided to try it out on a pumpkin and the results are truly stunning!  And while it looks like this pumpkin took painstaking hours to paint, you can actually achieve this effect in just a few minutes, no artistic ability required.  Plus it’s a great way to use up some of those colors you never use or ones that are older and starting to get a little gummy.  [how to make marbleized pumpkins]

Project estimate:

• Nail polish, on hand or $1 and up
• Pumpkin, $1
• Water, on hand
• Bucket, on hand
• Bamboo skewer, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

Looking for more pumpkin crafts?

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